The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1887-08-02
PINE WOODS or GEORGIA.
Old Habits Of Southern Hospitslity-Ths
Small Economies Of Poverty.

In an hour they were in the pine woods.
At long intervals there were openings in
which was wide, low, many galleried
house, with its appendage Of dilapidated
negro quarters and neglected farm lands
"a gray hoary wreck Of prosperous days
| The snow which still lay in drifts In the
woods, had melted here from tho saffron
stubble fields. The houses usually APP
peared 10 be over full; all OF the windows
shone redly in the closing dusk, the
rooms were alive with children, with gay
| young people; matrons with delicate,
fastidious faces bent over their work;
portly, handsomely dressed men lOitered
in the galleries or rode down the long
avenues.
"You would find the old habits Of hos
pitality kept up in these houses" said
Lola. Family connections are large in
| the south. a Georgian Of the higher
class has cousins all through the Caro-
/ linas and the gulf states, just IA the Nir-
ginans and Kcntuckians are really all Of
/ one blood. From five to ten guests may
drop i'm unlimited for any meal or come TO
stay week. They are always sure Of a
welcome. The old class Of southerners
NNlii ltNIfl XIV up Ail'lA 'AAAh' III
| heaven than the pleasure u keeping open
house for their friends on earth. ~
Mr. Ely's face flushed. ut is n gre
cious, beautiful customw he exclaimed.
1--WE lost much that was W. ia keeping
with the old feudal systems
eyes, " said Miss Pogue dryly; II have
known dinner prepared iu our house for
four persons, and befJre it was served
twenty guests arrived Unexpectedly. So
il goes on all the year round.
"That is delightful" hesitated Mrs
Ely. ut takes one quite back to patri
archal life But il would not suit north
ern housekeepers nor northern cooks and
chambermaids.
at does not suit here, said Lola,
promptly "Our mothers were used 10 il
when they had plenty Of money and Of
servants. But now That We have not
enough Of either, the custom keeps many
n family poor. and makes nfe treadmill
for most women The generation belong
10. Mrs Ety. she said after pause, her
thin. decisive features heating, have
learned to practice small economies in
poverty, and they are forced 20 see that
there is a great leakage in their incomes
through these old customs which seem 20
you 50 beautiful and grand. Yet, she
added, with sudden pride, IL doubt if
the southerner will ever give up that
custom
Mrs Ely, talking matters over that
night as usual declared that 'the Geor-
gan girl talked and thought precisely
like New Highlander And, rs far as
can see, she is not an uncommon type now
I'm this new south | have met women,
since we came here capable shrewd and
alive with energy. They manage planta-
tions and shops they raise stock, hold Of
fees, publish newspapers. Indeed, While
northern women have been clamOring for
t.eir rights, southern women have found
their way into more careers than they.
They keep up with all the questions Of the
day. Miss Lola actually gave me some
new hints on drainage | suppose we
Americans have but one blood, after all,
and hard struggle with poverty will pro
duce the same woman in Georgia as in
Connecticut. n-Rebecca Harding Davis in
Harper's Magazine